A Troubled Kind Of Love
by sillyjoy
Summary: AU. Rewound back to Never Been Kissed, what would Glee be with Sebastian in Kurt's place, and Hunter in Blaine's ? Follow our two heroes through every (important) Klaine episode as an out but broken Sebastian finds an unexpected friend in closeted Hunter. Slightly OOC and trigger warnings in future chapters.
1. Never Been There

**Boy, I had so much fun doing this. Had to watch the episode and write at the same time :D**

**Sebastian and Hunter are slightly OOC here but what do you know, maybe you'll like it ? Anyway, I've kept Kurt and Blaine's lines when I didn't have anything better for Hunter/Sebastian to say, BUT there is a good amount of original things too, and some sentences are also just a _bit_ different (in fact, I added a good load of curses, because Klaine (and mostly Blaine) are two overly polite little kittens :3)**

**With that said, enjoy ! (if you can...)**

**P.S. : Song's by Justin Bieber,** _U Smile._

* * *

Chapter 1 : Never Been There

* * *

_What if Sebastian's parents never moved to Paris, and stayed in Ohio instead? What would have been Sebastian's life if he was going to McKinley High? He wouldn't have met that boy in Paris who taught him being gay was OK, and he wouldn't have come out then. Instead of cocky and self-assured, Sebastian would have become sarcastic, withdrawn and bitter, having to face homophobia at school as soon as he was out. He's not Kurt, so his father never married Finn's mother. They never got close enough for Finn to back him up (in _Theatricality_) when Karofsky started harassing him. The other kids from glee club only have to face some minor insults, and a slushie in the face from time to time._

_But Sebastian, he gets the whole deal for being out and proud, and everyday it's just getting worse._

* * *

Tina and Sebastian were walking down the hallway, talking about Sectionals when Dave Karofsky bumped into Sebastian too roughly for it to be an accident, pushing him against the lockers where he hit his shoulder.

"Watch where you're going, faggot!"

Before Sebastian could say anything in reply, Karofsky was already gone. Sighing, eyes closed, Sebastian stood slowly up and straightened his clothes with shaky hands. Then he took his bag from where it'd fallen on the ground, ignoring Tina's concerned look.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course! What do you think?" he said harshly. "Do I look okay to you?"

"Calm down, Seb," Tina replied in the same tone. "_I_ wasn't the one who hit you."

She glared at him, but when he didn't apologize, she just turned around and left, stomping her feet like a moody child.

With another sigh, Sebastian followed after her. Was it too much to ask for someone to understand what he was going through and just give him a break?

* * *

"…And now, drum roll, Finn! Because I have in my hand… our competition for Sectionals next month!"

Sebastian looked up from his book at the announcement, Mr. Shue having finally gotten his interest, and caught Rachel making her usual constipated face whenever the word "competition" was said in her proximity. The exasperating diva inside her was impatient to hear about their contestants, already plotting to get all the solos for herself.

"First, the a-capella choir from the all-boys private school in Westerville, the Dalton Academy Warblers."

"Ok, hold up," Santana said. "Like, a million awesome gay jokes just popped into my head."

Sebastian cringed but didn't say anything. He and Santana used to be really close, the meanest pair in the school, until the day he came out. After that, it'd been as if Santana – and everyone else – were too scared of "catching the gay" to still hang out with him.

The first month of gay jokes, he'd fought back every of her attempts to bring him down. Eventually, he'd had enough of it and decided to ignore her. It was too tiring arguing with her all the time, and it never led to anything good.

"…And the other team will be... The Hipsters, a first-year club from the Warren Township Continuing Education Program! Now, they are a glee club composed entirely of elderly people getting their high school GEDs."

"Is that legal?"

"How are we supposed to compete against a bunch of adorable old people?"

"Are you kidding? Brittle bones," Puck said, as if beating up old people was even an option.

And still, everyone cheered and laughed even if that wasn't funny because he was Puck, your straight, popular badass. Only Sebastian kept a straight face, not especially in the mood to fake laughter.

* * *

The next day, when Sebastian got pushed against the lockers, Karofsky didn't even try to make it look like an accident. He threw him a murderous look, proving it was an open aggression, and again, not a single student turned their head in their direction.

"Fuck, what is your problem?" Sebastian yelled after standing up, head still leaning against the lockers because he was feeling faint.

"You talking back to me?" Karofsky came back, his meaty fist pointed at Sebastian. "You want a piece of the Fury?"

"The Fury? Is that what you call your mother?" Sebastian smirked.

He jumped and his eyes got wide when Karofsky slammed his fist in the lockers right beside his head, denting them a bit.

"That's what I named my fist!"

"Wow, with _that_ level of creativity, you could easily become a bull castrator or something."

"I don't know what that is," Karofsky muttered, "but if I find out it's bad…"

He waved his fist under Sebastian's nose in a blatant threat, then finally left him alone. Sebastian closed his eyes and rubbed his eyelids with the palms of his hands. He was shaking, but not because of fear. He was furious. When he opened them, the flow of students was still passing him by without paying attention, and it made him want to scream. Nobody _ever_ paid attention to bullying; they were all too afraid of becoming Karofsky's new pray.

"Hey, gay kid!"

Sebastian turned around to see Coach Sue looming over him.

"Come to my office."

Sebastian frowned, but nodded. She walked to the opposite side of the hallway and opened the door of her office with her foot, letting Sebastian get inside before following him.

They sat down in silence, the Coach behind her desk and Sebastian in a seat opposite her.

"So," she began as she pulled out her mixer from a drawer and one of her big bottles of protein for battle dogs, "Wanna talk about it?"

Sebastian sagged in his chair, his face expressionless. He put his forefinger against his temple and started biting one of his nails but didn't say anything. Sue waited, and when nothing came, she took a spoon and started transferring proteins from one recipient to the other.

When she was done, she put the lid on the mixer and turned it on.

"Listen," she said louder enough to be heard over the sound of the mixer, "not really long ago, I made myself _promise_ I won't ever stop and talk to students because it proved to be a _colossal _waste of my time."

"Why bother with me, then?"

"Oh, don't think you are some kind of exception, now. I was _bored_."

Sebastian held her gaze as long as he could before averting his eyes.

Coach Sue turned the mixer off and drank a swig directly from the thing.

"Is it the first time this kind of thing happens?"

"The fact that you're asking proves that you're still turning a blind eye on homophobia, just like everyone else in this school."

"So the fattie is bullying you because you're gay? Well, isn't _that_ original," she muttered, more to herself.

Sebastian stood up stiffly, his bag on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm not finished with you yet. Sit!"

"Coach, I know exactly how this is going to end. You'll promise me to talk to Figgins about my issues, or maybe have a chat with Karofsky but all it'll do is make things worse for me."

"If you want things to change, you need to speak up, kid."

"No, it's not supposed to be like that, and you know it. If nobody ever stops in the hallways, it's because they don't want to see. I shouldn't have to beg for help when it's happening every freaking day, right there!"

He pointed to the hallway that could be seen from the window before strolling out of the office.

Once alone, Sue frowned and took another swig of her protein drink.

"Kids these days," she muttered, shaking her head, "all raised in the jungle. It's high time someone restores corporal punishment…"

* * *

"Dude, why don't you make yourself _really _useful and go poison the old folks' Jell-O?"

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'll force Lady Gaga songs on you until I've had it my way," Sebastian replied, nose still buried in his book. "It was merely a suggestion."

For the purpose of the assignment of the week, girls vs. boys, the male members of the glee club had come together in an empty classroom to discuss song choices.

"Ain't no way I'm wearing a meat gown," Artie said. "I won't get my woman back if I start cross-dressing."

"Who said _anything _about a gown?"

Sebastian shut his book and put it angrily down on the table. He was having enough of this conversation. Everyone had spoken in turn to give suggestions, Mr Shue having specified the boys had to do songs sung only by female singers, and the girls had to do the opposite, and it had been enough for Sebastian to say "Lady Gaga" to get Finn "_dude_-ing" at him with a horrified look while Mike and Sam were pulling faces, thinking he didn't see them.

"Or better," Puck went on, throwing a ball in the air before catching it back, "visit The Garglers?"

"The Warblers," Sebastian corrected.

Puck stopped throwing the ball for a moment, then "Whatever. See what they're up to. And you can do all the Lady Gaga medleys you want. You'll blend right in."

Meaning: you don't have your place here, Sebastian.

"Fine, I'm out," Sebastian snapped. "Good luck with _your _assignment."

He stood up and put his book in his bag, then snapped it shut and left the room, ignoring Mike and the other boys as they watched him leave with uneasy expressions.

_Fuck you. All of you._

* * *

Sunglasses on and black jacket that hopefully looked enough like the Academy uniform, Sebastian entered Dalton and was almost immediately taken away by the flow of students. He knew he should be paying attention, but he was having a hard time concentrating on anything else but the conversation with Puck, and the way he was always ostracized from the boys' team because he wasn't considered man enough. That homophobic asshole thought every gay guy had to be a flamboyant queen wrapped in glittering boas. He couldn't believe they used to be friends, when ever since he came out they hadn't exchanged more than a sentence or two. And it was the same with everybody else in the club.

_Open-minded and united, huh? My ass._

Sebastian frowned when someone bumped into him and had to catch the railing. He expected to be thoroughly ignored and literally stared when the student, a tall boy with strawberry blond hair, immediately stopped to apologize politely, _twice_, before rushing down the stairs again.

_Ok, what the hell was that?_

Pushing his sunglasses up his nose, Sebastian suddenly took notice of the fact that everyone else seemed to be running in the same direction the blond took, as if some big key event was currently taking place somewhere. Or maybe it was merely a brawl? It was the same in McKinley High, whenever there was a fight and blood was shed people tended to go crazy and gather around the opponents like flies around the rotten carcass of an animal, cheering their favorites as if they were still in the time of the gladiator shows.

_Maybe I should ask one of those preppies._

Sebastian took his sunglasses off with one hand and pushed them against his chest to fold them just as another student was brushing past him.

"Uh, excuse me."

"Yeah?" The boy said absently, stopping without turning, looking reluctant to tear his gaze away from the flow of students still rushing down the stairs beside them.

He didn't seem as overly polite like the first one. At least, that, Sebastian knew how to deal with. Kindness made him nervous and unsettled. Talking to jerks was more his cup of tea.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Sebastian winced when he heard his own bored and almost blunt tone of voice. He was supposed to play the part of the student who was excited to meet The Warblers, not like he had been dragged there by force.

"Uh-huh," the other boy replied noncommittally.

"You see, I'm new here…"

That seemed to pique the other boy's interest enough to make him turn his head and cast a glance at Sebastian over his shoulder, and the latter suddenly found himself under the captivating attention of the most shockingly beautiful pair of gray eyes he'd ever seen.

Sebastian felt his breath catch in his throat.

He'd never experienced such feeling before. He was suddenly lightheaded, warmth creeping up his neck and cheeks, his skin tingling everywhere. Maybe it was what one usually felt when a gorgeous boy was noticing them? Sebastian didn't know for sure, he'd never been stared at in that kind of way.

Wait, why was the other boy staring at him, anyway ? And he wasn't saying anything, just… _staring_.

_Crap, is it something I said?_

Sebastian was really hot now, and he knew his face was beet red. Sebastian hated blushing more than anything, and it wasn't a reaction people got easily from him. Instead of the rosy and delicate coloring of a girl, his skin always turned the brightest, most unattractive shade of red.

"So… um, what is this frenzy all about?" He managed to say, sounding a bit friendlier, now nervously gripping the strap of his schoolbag.

Maybe he'd been uncovered? The boy couldn't be checking him out. More like just studying him suspiciously… right?

The student was gorgeous a moment before, and when one corner of his mouth turned slowly up in a twisted, devilish, half-smile, it was all Sebastian could do not to let out a little moan. To look so damn sexy _had _to be illegal. Sebastian's teenage hormones weren't prepared for that kind of assault; it was too much at once.

"The Warblers, new kid. Every now and then, they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. It tends to shut the school down for a while."

Sebastian gaped at him. He literally gaped. All this rush and excitement was for the _glee club_? What alternative universe had he fallen in exactly?

"So, wait, the glee club here is kind of... cool?" Sebastian asked slowly, not quite believing it.

The other boy managed to do a mix between snorting and snickering and remain as breathtaking as ever, and then he raised his eyebrows at Sebastian as if he was the dumbest person on the planet for asking.

"The Warblers aren't just _cool_. They are like rock stars."

To hear someone talk about glee club with so much pride, as if being happy and proud about it wasn't odd; as if being part of it was the most unbelievable, most exciting thing ever; as if there was nothing to be ashamed of... it made Sebastian's throat close, for some reason he couldn't fathom yet. He felt like sitting here and watching this perfect boy talk about his perfect school and perfect life forever.

"If you don't believe me, I'm gonna have to show you."

Suddenly, the boy took hold of his hand, surprising Sebastian and almost making him trip over his feet when he tugged at it gently.

"Come on, I know a shortcut."

Sebastian tried to wriggle himself out of his grasp when the boy started dragging him across a deserted hallway. They were alone now, but he was still a bit freaked out about holding hands with a boy in public. The other one was having none of it, though, and he kept a good hold of Sebastian's hand, as if there was nothing "inappropriate" in this simple act.

Sebastian tried to ignore the way the other boy's palm was burning his skin where they were touching, probably because his own hands were ice cold, but it was all he could think about. He wasn't even looking where they were going; he was just following this stranger blindly, his hand securely tucked inside another boy's for the first time, a warm sensation blooming in his chest at that thought.

It was only when they entered a crowded room that he remembered where he was and where they were going – the boy had offered to show him this… _impromptu_ thing.

There was suddenly cool air against his palm and Sebastian felt a pang of disappointment. But then he saw all the students strolling from one side of the room to the other, moving tables and chairs out of the way, and he knew why the other boy had released his hand. If he didn't want to be mocked by his friends, it was safer to keep his distance.

It wasn't so different from McKinley, after all.

People were chattering and laughing out loud, some looking more excited than others but everyone seemed just as thrilled as they were finishing clearing the space in the middle of the room. Sebastian looked around him in bemusement, wondering if they were _all _in The Warblers. That would make them some crowded glee club, but it wasn't impossible when the Vocal Adrenaline were known to count thirty members in their team.

The other boy was studying his impressions with another of his wicked smiles and Sebastian pretended he didn't notice.

The excitement was infectious and Sebastian found himself waiting there impatiently, not knowing what was going to happen exactly but trusting the beaming faces around him that this impromptu was going to be something memorable.

"Huh, I stick out like a sore thumb," he joked when he realized he was the only one who didn't know what he was supposed to do. Or _if _he was supposed to do anything other than just stand there like an idiot.

"Well, next time don't forget your jacket, newbie," the boy replied, misunderstanding him and reaching out to pat his collar lightly. "You'll fit right in. Now, if you'll excuse me," he added with a smug raise of his eyebrows before dropping his bag in the hands of another boy, who literally jumped to get it in time before it touched the ground, and then strolling to the other side of the room, leaving a dazzled Sebastian behind.

It was the exact same thing Puck had spat at him. You'll fit right in. _Homo_.

How did that boy manage to say something that had hurt him so badly only a day before, and make him now feel comforted deep down to his very bones?

_How I wish I'd met this guy sooner._

Chest strangely tight, Sebastian watched the boy make a come-hitter gesture with both hands before students rushed behind him, already humming in their low baritones while others were vocalizing a melody he knew from somewhere.

_"Oh, yeah! I'd wait on you forever and a day, hand and foot…"_

Sebastian shivered when the boy started singing. He may hate the little Justin Wiener and his mewling they called singing but this was one goddamn good cover. The boy's voice was low and just the right amount of smoky that made the hairs at the back of Sebastian's neck stand on end. It was also incredibly soft, the opposite of the steady, commanding tone he had when he was talking.

_"Ain't no way you're ever gon' get, any less than you should cause baby, when you smile, I smile!"_

When he pointed at Sebastian's general direction, the blush returned to his face but he didn't even care, mesmerized by the sight in front of him. Everything seemed so bright in this corner of the world right now, and all Sebastian wanted to do was be a part of it, and enjoy it while it was still happening.

The room was bursting with energy, people were cheering and whooping and those who weren't singing were clapping their hands and snapping their fingers. Even Sebastian found himself taping his foot in rhythm, unable to resist the catchy song.

_"Your lips, my biggest weakness…" _Sebastian's wet dream was singing, the smile so damn audible in his voice, and it seemed like his eyes were always darting around for a moment to make eye contact with his teammates before coming back to pierce Sebastian from side to side. It was as if he was unable to tear his eyes too long from Sebastian.

_No, that's you, moron. Don't confuse it all. It's you who can't stop ogling him from the beginning. Everyone can see the puddle of drool at your feet, by the way._

Sebastian was finding it more and more difficult to keep a straight face.

_"When you smile, I smile, hey, hey, hey!"_

Sebastian frowned when the leader of The Warblers traced his own smile with the tip of his fingers, suggesting him to do the same. Oh, so that was why he was constantly staring at Sebastian. He wanted to see the stiff new kid crack up.

Again, there was that feeling that his chest was suddenly too tight and he couldn't breathe anymore. It was deception; he easily recognized it this time.

_"Baby, take my open heart and all it offers… Oh, I won't ever hesitate to give you more!"_

_Damn, stop singing those things when you look at me_, Sebastian thought, gritting his teeth.

* * *

Hunter frowned at the little spy's displeasure which was written all over his face. He had guessed what was going on right after taking a peek at his shades and outfit – what kind of idiot forgot their jacket, seriously? – and wasn't fooled even a bit by all the "I'm new" bullshit. He would have told him he knew where he came from right away, but something had stopped him short. In fact, Hunter's brain had literally short-circuited the moment he'd met the little snooper's emerald eyes. He'd had a rather curious sensation, as if he was staring at something beautiful that hadn't grown out like it was meant to.

Hunter really had no proper words to describe that sensation, but it'd been strong, and pulled at his most sensitive strings. The way the boy hadn't believed him about The Warblers had first annoyed him – he'd thought the New Directions had sent someone to spy _and _insult their club –, but then disbelief had turned into wonder, and longing, and Hunter had reacted like his usual impulsive self, proposing to show the spy how things were rolling in Dalton when he was supposed to kick the intruder out of the perimeter of the Academy.

But it'd have felt like kicking a puppy. Hunter didn't have the heart to do that. Plus, he'd had the feeling that if he succeeded into putting a smile on that brooding face, the result would be a hell of a reward to see.

But now, it seemed like it was going to be harder than he'd thought. Looking around him, all Hunter saw were beaming faces, colored cheeks and sparkling eyes. He saw teens having fun as they should, living in the moment wholeheartedly. But when he turned to the boy in his plain black jacket, all he saw was… guardedness.

_Come on, nobody's going to eat you_, he thought as he caught his eyes once again.

_"But I fold to your wish…"_

Hunter crossed his arms and held them tightly to his chest before bending his head to his side, literally folding himself and unable to not stick out his out tongue like a kid playing dead,_ "cause it's my command…",_ he sang next before quickly doing the military salute, heels tapping against each other as he snapped his legs closed.

He heard Nick guffaw behind him but he didn't pay him any attention, too busy tracking every flickering of muscles under the ivory skin of his boy's pretty face.

He wasn't pretty like a girl – there was nothing girly about him in the least – but the word "pretty," although always used to talk about attractive _girls_, seemed to have been created to describe him instead. The _whole _him. That, and "lean," "well-built," "sexy," etc…

_"And whenever, you smile, I smile…"_

The song was almost over, and Hunter was still in square one. Why was it so difficult- and more important: what was making this boy so special that Hunter couldn't stop being drawn to him ? Why did making him smile feel so goddamn _vital _to him?

The answer didn't come, and Hunter kept singing at his boy – no use to deny it anymore, he'd been serenading him from the beginning, hadn't he? – until his backup fell silent and he was left to sing the last line solo, his voice shaking at the right moment before dying always so softly.

The room erupted in applause, Nick and Thad banging on one of the tables because it wasn't a real Warblers performance without those monkeys drawing all attention to them.

Hunter was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of overexcited students, everyone trying to hug him at the same time because they just _knew _how much he hated being mistaken for a stuffed teddy bear. He took it like a man and high-fived his teammates, but his heart wasn't in it.

His plan had been a complete failure, and the boy could disappear any time now that he'd seen what he'd come to spy in the first place. It was probably too late already, but Hunter made his way through the crowd anyway, coming back to the entry of the room where he'd left his grim looking boy.

When he saw him, he actually thought there was another person with the same clothes and same haircut standing there, clapping his hands fiercely.

_It's because he's smiling_, Hunter realized as he watched him, fascinated by the change, _he's ten times more beautiful than before._

_Maybe they're all gay, _Sebastian was thinking while clapping his hands, unable to stop smiling now that he'd started. He hadn't been able to contain his laughter when at the end of the song they had all jumped on top of the lead singer, and that brotherly atmosphere had finally gotten at him. Sebastian longed to be a part of something like this so much it almost hurt.

* * *

"So, are you all fucking each other?"

At Sebastian's words, Hunter spilled his latte, droplets flying to the middle of the perfectly polished wooden table. Wes quickly leaned towards him and pounded on his back while he was coughing and struggling to breathe. Then, when he eventually managed to survive and could take a breath again, he burst out laughing.

"Is he mental?" Sebastian asked, only waiting for someone to beat him into a pulp for calling them gay, because if Wes' face was any clue, his assumptions were wrong.

But David was still grinning when he replied. Sebastian knew his name because they had all introduced themselves before buying him coffee.

"No, don't worry. It's like that with him. You never know what he'll say or do next."

"Yeah, yeah... Shut up," Hunter coughed, trying to get a grip on his uncontrollable laughter.

"Sorry for assuming," Sebastian said, "but there was more hairgel in that room during your little _impromptu _than in the rest of the world. You give off a hell of a gay vibe, if you ask me."

And _now_, he was sure to have his face beaten until it was black and blue.

"Are you serious?" Hunter said, after having finally calmed down a bit.

They all looked briefly at each other's hair, which made Sebastian snicker inwardly.

Hunter was still coughing from time to time, but he didn't yell at Sebastian for making him almost choke to death, and neither Wes nor David stopped smiling friendly at him.

"Well, these two have both girlfriends. And as for me…"

Sebastian held his breath without noticing.

"…I'm not even remotely bi-curious."

_Huh, what the hell is that supposed to mean?_

"You're not gay?" Sebastian blurted – it was out before his brain could process the thought.

But again, Hunter didn't get pissed and only shrugged with a face that said "Uh, yeah, sorry buddy".

"Well, anyway, I don't think you came all the way here just to know about our sexual orientations. Right?"

Sebastian's back stiffened and he held Hunter's suddenly predatory gaze without cowering.

"So, who's gonna do the dirty job and beat me up?"

"We are not going to… beat you up," Wes said, exchanging a disconcerted look with David across the table.

"You were such a terrible spy," David added with a wink, "we thought it was sort of… endearing."

It was Sebastian's time to cough in his cup, but at least he didn't spill it all around the place. Great, they'd all seen him while he was blushing and fawning over their "not even bi-curious" leader. The realization of how pathetic that was made the warmth rise to his cheeks again. Just _great_!

"Which made me think that spying on us wasn't really the reason why you came. Especially when you didn't flee right after you had all the information you wanted."

Hunter knew it was a mistake to talk about that the moment he saw Sebastian's face fall. What was he thinking about? And yeah, Hunter was feeling awfully curious: why had he come here if spying hadn't been his priority ?

Sebastian kept silent, staring down at his coffee cup, and it made Hunter's heart ache to see him like that. He didn't know that boy only an hour before but he already knew he kept himself drawn behind layers and layers of protections, only waiting for someone to help him out of them.

Hunter gestured to the others to leave them alone, sensing that Sebastian was uneasy with too much people listening.

"Take it easy, Sebastian," David said and patted his shoulder before following Wes out of the cafeteria.

"We have a zero-tolerance harassment policy, here," Hunter said as soon as they were alone, "and everybody's treated the same, no matter what they are."

Sebastian's head shot up and he threw him a nasty look that almost made him laugh again.

"I just thought you would want to know."

"You think you know me after chitchatting five minutes with me? You don't know _anything_!"

Sebastian spat the words in a rage, but it wasn't really directed at Hunter. He felt cornered whenever people were getting closer to discovering the mess that his life really was, and he tended to bite in that kind of situations.

"I didn't say… Listen, you are right. I don't know you. _But_, just a moment ago you were the one convinced we wanted to beat you up. Sorry for trying to help."

Hunter shrugged and looked away as he sipped his latte, waiting for another outburst, or for Sebastian to stand up and walk out with his chin held defiantly up.

But he didn't do any of these things. Instead, he started sniffing softly.

_Oh, wait, no…_

Looking back, already panicked because he was awful at comforting crying people, Hunter was relieved when he saw Sebastian's bloodshot, but otherwise dry eyes. He was probably fighting off the tears, and Hunter felt grateful for that. It'd have been a disaster if he'd had to hug him or… kiss him better.

That strange thought made him shiver, and he wasn't sure if it was a pleasant kind of shiver, or not.

"I'm the only person… out of the closet… at my school."

Sebastian's voice was almost a whisper, but it was still audible.

"I tried to stay strong about it, but… There's this neanderthal…"

His voice quivered, and he stopped talking because voicing it, saying everything out loud for the first time, was humiliating. And Sebastian hated feeling that way.

He was grateful when Hunter didn't try to argue, or tell him to go on. He just crossed his arms and waited, letting him take all the time he needed.

So, after a moment, when he felt he'd had his voice – and his emotions – back under control, Sebastian spilled his guts. He didn't leave anything aside, or try to make it sound more interesting or dramatic to get Hunter's pity. He just told an almost stranger, met only an hour ago, everything he'd wanted to tell his parents, his teachers at school, and those people he thought were his friends.

When he was finished, they kept silent for a moment before Hunter finally spoke.

"Seems like you rooted out the evil. Are you feeling better, now?"

Sebastian nodded, fidgeting with his cup. He felt as if a weight had been taken from his shoulders and he could breathe again without feeling constricted, but he still felt like a complete loser. And the injustice of being a bully's victim just because he liked men – something that was supposed to be _his _business, and his_ only_! – was still there, no matter how many people he told.

But yeah, he felt better. Kind of.

"I've never experienced bullying. I come from a military academy, in Colorado, and we had the same strict policy as here at Dalton. It was even worse," Hunter added, and Sebastian heard the smile in his voice, that sounded just like when he was singing, and felt his heart leap at the thought that he knew him enough to recognize things like that now. "But that doesn't mean I don't find it any less revolting. That guy who's giving you misery, I bet he's a closeted case who's taking all his frustrations on someone else. Typical coward. If I were there, you can be sure…"

Sebastian shivered at the fierceness suddenly burning in Hunter's voice. What was he talking about, if he were there?

"Wait, are you thinking about coming to my school?"

"Maybe. Or maybe you can just transfer to Dalton?"

"Yeah, right, when I'm a millionaire, I'll think about it."

Hunter laughed and nodded. It was true that Dalton wasn't accessible to anyone.

"Or maybe… You just need to confront him about it. The guy that's harassing you. Show him you're not afraid of him, and maybe he'll back off ? That's what I'd do, anyway."

* * *

Sebastian's phone chimed and when he pulled it out, he saw a message from Hunter.

_Kick him in the balls!_

Sebastian snorted, putting his hand against his mouth to muffle the sound before pocketing his phone. He was still smiling at Hunter's suggestion when he felt someone push him in the back with so much force, when he stumbled against the lockers he actually bit his tongue and tasted blood.

He spun around and breathing heavily, he met Karofsky's heinous gaze before he turned around the corner and disappeared from his sight.

Sebastian hesitated a moment, not sure if he really wanted to try to talk to Karofsky, but then he remembered Hunter and how he'd feel if he told him he hadn't had the balls to face the brute.

"Hey, wait!"

Leaving his bag behind, Sebastian ran after Karofsky and when he saw him entering the locker rooms, he followed him inside.

"I'm talking to you, Dave!" He yelled, not containing his anger anymore.

"Girls' locker is next door," the other said matter-of-factly, rummaging through his sport clothes.

"What is your _problem_?"

Sebastian came and pushed Karofsky's locker shut, not caring at this point if Karofsky punched him. He was _so ready_ for a fight.

"Excuse me?"

Karofsky watched him as if he was crazy and had no reason to be there, screaming at the top of his lungs. It made Sebastian even angrier.

"What are you scared of?!"

"What, beside you sneaking in to peek at my junk?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"Oh, right, I forgot, every straight guy's nightmare! Of course, all of us gays are secretly out to molest and convert you! Well, guess what, ham hock? _You're not my type_!"

"That right?" Karofsky asked in a low voice, eyebrows rising, and Sebastian felt the blood boil in his veins.

Karofsky was convinced he was irresistible!

"Yes, that's right! I don't dig on fat bears who sweat buckets and are going to be bald by the time they're thirty!"

"Do _not _push me, Smythe!"

"Are you going to hit me? So, hit me! You think I care?"

"Don't push me," Karofsky threatened, voice shaking for some reason, but Sebastian only sneered at him.

"Go on, hit me! But know that it's never going to change who I am! You can't punch the gay out of me any more than I can punch the dumbass out of you!"

"_Get out of my face, Smythe!_"

Sebastian knew the situation was getting more and more dangerous for him, but he couldn't stop, not now. Karofsky was a fucking ignorant and it was high time somebody laid it on the line.

"You know what, Dave? You're nothing but a scared little boy who can't handle –"

Karofsky didn't let him finish, grabbing his face and crushing Sebastian's lips with his mouth. Sebastian went completely rigid, but he was too stunned to react and let Karofsky hold him and kiss him like mad, more bruising Sebastian's lips against his own teeth than anything else.

But when he pulled back to take a breath and tried to go at it again, Sebastian lifted his hand to protect his mouth and pushed him away with the other, hard, sending him stumbling back against the lockers and hitting them with a loud bang.

He was staring at Karofsky in shock, his brain unable to process what had just happened.

Karofsky looked as if he was going to lunge at him again, but then his face contorted in a mix of anger and despair, and with a frustrated grunt he ran out of the locker room, leaving a shaking Sebastian behind.

Karofsky didn't kiss him. It was impossible. Of all the horrible things he expected him to do, this had never even crossed his mind.

Holding himself, he slid to the ground and took his head in his hands, fingers tugging at his hair until it hurt. This wasn't just harassment anymore. He had been assaulted by Karofsky _sexually_. What was he going to do if Karofsky started doing that daily too? And how far would he go?

Sebastian was truly scared this time.

* * *

"Thanks for coming."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Hunter said, as if it were nothing.

As if it were normal.

But it meant so much to Sebastian. None of his so-called friends, the people he saw every day at school, had ever proposed to help, or do something about Karofsky as simple as just offering some support.

"I'll do the talking," Sebastian said, but Hunter shook his head in disdain as if Sebastian had insulted him.

"No, let me take care of this. You already tried and we both saw the result, right?"

Hunter looked determined, face serious and brows drawn together, so Sebastian sighed and decided to let him do as he pleased. It still surprised him that a straight guy like Hunter was not only caring about Sebastian's problems but also seemed to understand what being bullied felt like. It was difficult to get people to understand, because on the outside it looked easy to deal with, but when you were truly experiencing it, you saw things differently. It wasn't only the physical side of it that was hard, it was especially how much the harassment fucked him up _emotionally_, and that part was rather unnoticeable for other people. He wondered if Hunter had truly never been bullied, and if he'd lied to make himself look stronger in front of Sebastian.

They were outside in the staircase that led to the cafeteria when they finally came across Karofsky.

"There he is," Sebastian said loud enough for Hunter to hear him.

The other nodded once and quickly came forward, cutting Karofsky's path in the middle of the stairs

"Excuse me."

Karofsky first looked surprised but when he saw Sebastian coming to stand at Hunter's side, he frowned, looking slightly uneasy.

"Hey, lady boys. This your girlfriend, Sebastian?"

_If only_, Sebastian thought as he gritted his teeth, glaring at Karofsky in return.

Hunter kept his smile polite and his hands in his pockets but when Sebastian cast him a sideways glance, he saw something in his grey eyes, something cold that frightened him although he knew he wasn't the one that fierceness was directed towards. Hunter was taking it _really _seriously, and Sebastian felt the knot in his guts untie. With Hunter at his side, he didn't feel impressed by Karofsky in the least.

"Sebastian and I would like to talk to you about something," Hunter said in a honeyed voice, his words dripping with scorn.

"I gotta go to class."

Karofsky was scared, Sebastian realized when he saw him trying to make his way past them before Hunter caught his arm in an iron grip, making him hiss in pain.

"I know what you did," Sebastian heard Hunter whisper in Karofsky's ear, and he felt a shiver run down his spine.

Karofsky tried to get away but all he did every time he jerked his arm was to draw Hunter even closer to him, like a feline holding its prey between his fangs, slowly suffocating it. Karofsky started to panic then, looking around them to make sure nobody was watching.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Okay, it seems like you might be a little confused," Hunter said in a dark voice, "If you keep taking your closeted frustrations out on my friend…"

Then Hunter leaned another inch forward and Karofsky turned completely white, all blood drained from his face.

"…I'll have your "_Fury_" up your ass so deep, they'll need a GPS to locate it, and the biggest motherfucking clamps they can find in the hospital to pull it out."

Hunter squeezed his arm one last time before letting go. Then he took a step aside, clearing the path and giving Karofsky his cue to leave.

Karofsky's chin was trembling when he rushed between them and he didn't look back once, running down the stairs as if he was being pursued by a horde of crazy drag queens.

When he was gone, Sebastian turned around and met Hunter's gaze in time to see him brush imaginary dust off his sleeve smugly. Then he leaned against the fence and Sebastian did the same, exhaling a shaky but relieved breath.

"Well... he's not coming out anytime soon."

Sebastian snorted, remembering Karofsky's horrified face when Hunter had come so close their faces had almost touched, as if he'd been scared of Hunter suddenly kissing him.

Sebastian had dreamed of doing that to Karofsky but had never found the opportunity, nor the courage to do so. Hunter could do it because he didn't have to face Karofsky every day, and well, he seemed to have also more strength in his arms than Sebastian and Karofsky put together, which was probably a big plus too.

"I should be going," Hunter eventually said, and Sebastian's good mood evaporated right then.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Sebastian just slumped down on the steps and watched as Hunter came to sit next to him.

"Why are you upset, now?"

For a moment, Sebastian thought about blurting what he was really thinking – that what Hunter had done was more than anyone had ever done for him, that he'd never felt better than after seeing Karofsky finally getting a taste of his own medicine, and most important, that he was going to miss Hunter once he was gone. Really bad.

Instead, he lied.

"Oh, it's just… up until yesterday, I had never been kissed. And now, Dave is my first. Of _all_ people…"

He sighed and when he realized what he'd just said, he couldn't meet Hunter's eyes. He hadn't meant it to sound like he was asking for Hunter to do something about _that_ too.

_Crap._

"Anyway, thanks for what you did. It was awesome."

Hunter remained silent for what felt like hours, and Sebastian was acutely aware of his presence right beside him. He could feel the exact places where they were touching, thighs pressed together and elbows brushing against each other's ribcage with every breath they were taking. His heartbeat sped up when he noticed how good Hunter's weight felt against his side, and lost himself in a fantasy where he was able to put his hands on Hunter waist and feel the weight of Hunter's arms around him, keeping him securely in his embrace, protecting him from the rest of the world.

"Come on, I'll buy you lunch."

Sebastian frowned while Hunter stood up, brushing dust off the back of his pants.

"I thought you had to leave?"

"Don't argue and get your ass in gear," Hunter said over his shoulder, already heading for the cafeteria.

Sebastian didn't hesitate for a second before running to catch up with him.


	2. The Backfire, part 1

******This has nothing to do with** _The Substitute. _******I**** TRIED to make this fit inside the next chapter (which is based _loosely _on** _The Substitute_)****** but it made the whole thing too complicated (we were in Lima, then in Westerville, then back in Lima again, really it was weird) so I decided to just... cut it and put it here. Voilà.**

**Enraged Hunter straight ahead, guys !**

******P.S.: this scene is taking place in the present, but the next chapter will be set 3 days_ before_ this one, as a flashback. You still with me** ?

* * *

Chapter 2 : The Backfire (part 1)

* * *

**Trigger warning****: Violence, fighting, blood. I don't know what else to say. I've made it a habit to warn all the time, even when it seems like nothing 'cause you never know what may upset people.**

* * *

The adrenaline was coursing through his veins when he drove inside the parking lot of the McKinley High School, careful not to run over any students while his heart was pounding painfully fast in his chest. Hunter could still hear Tina's sobbing in his ear when she had called him and the heart-wrenching sound of her voice when she had told him between hiccups everything she knew about the events of last night.

His hands shook and he gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles going white. Every muscle in his body was wound up tight with anger he was trying his best to contain, and he could feel a trickle of sweat running slowly down the back of his neck. He knew he shouldn't be driving in that state, but there was no fucking way he'd hang obediently back and wait for the police to do their slow, inefficient job when he was perfectly aware of who was responsible for it all. After hanging up abruptly on a still crying Tina, he hadn't wasted any time thinking it over. He'd immediately started looking for his car keys before driving to Lima as fast as he could, his mind gone totally blank.

The morning sun was shining bright, the rays falling straight in Hunter's eyes and forcing him to squint. Today was one of the last beautiful days of autumn, and the students were enjoying a sunbath outside before the start of classes.

Finally, after two more turns in the alleys he spotted the unmistakable silhouette of the person he had expressly come for and he stepped firmly on the brake pedal, stopping his car abruptly in the middle of the way. When he turned the vehicle off, in the sudden silence inside the car he could hear the blood rushing loudly in his ears, and catch the muffled sound of laughter coming from the group of students thirty feet ahead. Karofsky was standing in the middle of the group, back turned at Hunter, and he seemed in a lively conversation with two girls sporting the McKinley High cheerleader uniform.

Murderous thoughts were filling his head at the vision of Karofsky's red and white jacket, and he reached for the handle, ready to jump out of his car and beat the motherfucking coward senseless. But when his gaze came across his reflection in the rearview, glaring at him from under thick and tightly drawn eyebrows, he had enough sense to realize he was still wearing his blazer with the very noticeable Dalton blazon on it.

"_Fuck_."

Releasing his grip on the door handle, he unfastened his tie hastily and threw it on the passenger seat. Then he shrugged his blazer off, fighting with one of the sleeves for a moment before discarding it in the same manner. When he looked at his reflection again, he was only wearing his nondescript white shirt over black pants. Nothing that could make him recognizable, or that could link him to the Dalton Academy and The Warblers whatsoever. If anybody from Dalton heard about this, Hunter was sure to be expelled within the hour.

Hunter took a deep breath through his nose and got out of the car, leaving the door wide open. His eyes and mind were firmly set on his aim, and even the end of the world couldn't have stopped him.

Hunter crossed the distance between him and Karofsky in something akin to a trance, unaware of his surroundings or anything else that wasn't Karofsky's ugly, homophobic muzzle and its appointment with his fist.

Shielding his eyes from the sun, he came to a halt behind the slightly taller figure of Karofsky and saw the other two girls' eyes go slightly wide when they met his murderous gaze. Hunter didn't even register, ignoring them when they both took a step back.

He reached out to pat Karofsky's shoulder twice, fingers digging hard in his meaty shoulder.

"Hmm?"

When Karofsky turned around, the world seemed to be suddenly moving in slow motion from Hunter's point of view. He felt his heartbeat speed up when Karofsky saw him and it felt like a century passed before recognition made Karofsky's mouth open, jaw hanging dumbly.

_This one is for Sebastian._

Before the asshole had any time to react, Hunter's fingers closed into a fist and, gritting his teeth loudly, he struck him square in the face with so much force he almost lost his balance.

The girls screamed as they both staggered from the force of his blow and pain exploded in Hunter's knuckles, reverberating along his arm to his right elbow and shoulder.

Hunter didn't feel it, though. What he felt with acute awareness was the sensation of Karofsky's face crushing under his fist, his nose breaking with a loud cracking sound that made him delirious with a purely evil kind of satisfaction, and when Karofsky stumbled backwards into the girls' arms, his hands quickly covering his bleeding nose, looking completely shell-shocked, Hunter's mouth contorted into a sneer and that was when he totally lost it.

He lunged forward with an angry cry and head-butted Karofsky, sending them both rolling on the hard ground, the two girls screaming in shock and shouting at them to stop. A crowd quickly gathered around their struggling bodies, shouting things that Hunter couldn't understand, busy untangling himself from Karofsky's grip while the other was writhing underneath him. His head was spinning and he was hurting everywhere, especially in his left knee where the pain was almost unbearable, but he was completely blind to the complaints of his body.

When Karofsky's attempts to roll him over didn't work, he tried to push him aside, screaming something incomprehensible at him, but Hunter kept him still by tightening the hold of his thighs around him.

"You piece of shit," Hunter spat, dodging a punch aimed at his face. "Next time you do as much as look at him funnily, I'll fucking _kill _you!"

Then gripping Karofsky's collar with one hand, he dropped his fist and hit him again. His fist rose and fell countless times after that, blow after blow, unable to stop.

Red was splashing his pristine white shirt, probably a mix of both their blood, Hunter's bruised knuckles bleeding as copiously as Karofsky's wounds, and he could also feel the crimson droplets raining on his face, coating his hair too but he felt strangely detached from it, his rage fueling his naturally short-temper and setting his blood on fire.

Hands appeared suddenly from behind him, snaking around his chest and arms before tearing him from Karofsky's form with a strong tug that forced him to stand up on his feet. Karofsky was still lying on the ground, body motionless and face a bloodied, unrecognizable mess.

"Let go of me!" He yelled, struggling like a madman as he was being dragged away from Karofsky. "I SAID LET THE _FUCK_ GO!"

People were still screaming around him and a group of girls burst in tears at Karofsky's sight, rushing to kneel next to him.

Hunter started to panic then and he desperately elbowed the guy holding his right arm, knocking the breath out of his lungs and taking that opportunity to knock him off balance. Then Hunter kicked the shin of the one that was keeping his left arm pinned in his back, and there was a pained cry before he was free again.

Without wasting any more time, Hunter ran to his car, pushing students out of his way and thanking everything that was holy that he had left his door open. He climbed inside and started the engine with trembling fingers before slamming the door shut and pulling out of the parking lot in reverse, straining his neck to see where he was going.

"Shit! Shit! _Shit!_" He kept muttering angrily under his breath.

He could only hope nobody had the presence of mind to memorize his license plate while he crossed the parking lot in a hurry.

Then the rest was a total blur for Hunter and somehow, hours or maybe just minutes later, he found himself driving on the deserted highway in the direction of the Lima Memorial Hospital, heart still pounding wildly in his chest.


	3. The Backfire, part 2

******Based on **_The Substitute_**, with a**** scene borrowed from** _Sexy_** (you'll recognize it).**

**********/!\ This chapter is a flashback, and after counting again I realized it happens only 2 days before chappy 2, and not 3 days as stated previously. **

**********I'm such a dumb banana.**

**Credits: ****This chapter has been proofread by lots of people, dunno how I managed to bribe them into it. Anyway, thanks a lot to **Oliolipop**, to my **baby sister** for her help with the structure (it was such a mess at first), to my bff **Hyllean** (even if the only thing she did was read and say it was good. Aaaah, always so helpful, aren't you, lady? lol I'm jowwking) and especially to **ohsnapitzlena** for beta-ing not only this part but also the 2 previous ones. Yeah, this story has now a beta and I hope we'll be able to offer you something decent to read AT LAST. WOOHOO.**

* * *

Chapter 3 : The Backfire (part 2)

* * *

**Trigger warning: ****This isn't for the faint of heart when it comes to their favorite character being beaten up, humiliated, scared to death and left rolled into a sobbing ball on the ground. Yeah, yeah I know, spoilers, but one does not simply leave her readers alone without bothering them one last time.**

* * *

_2 days earlier..._

Sebastian was juggling his tray in one hand and his phone in the other, busy typing a reply to Hunter's last text message when an ear-splitting cry made him jump, quickly followed by the rest of the cafeteria.

"_TOTS!_"

"Oh my God!" He yelped in shock as his tray slipped from his fingers.

He caught it just in time to save his salad bowl, but his glass of water toppled over the tray and spilled water on his shoes.

"What the hell's going on?!"

"Well," Tina yelled in his ear in order to be heard over the crowd, "since Principal Sue banned the tots, I think Mercedes just started a rebellion against healthy food."

"I swear," Sebastian muttered, "all the girls in this school have gone crazy. First Santana and Rachel, now her."

"Shut up, Mr. Twiggy," Mercedes replied loudly when she rushed passed them, "She has no right to take our tots! We want them back and we're gonna take this school down if we have to!"

The crowd howled in agreement, and Sebastian almost dropped his tray again from sheer fright.

"OK, I think these idiots just broke one of my eardrums," he complained to Tina, who winced in sympathy.

Mercedes left the cafeteria with her sign held high over her head, and half of the students in the cafeteria followed after her, screaming "tots" at the top of their lungs.

"Not _all_ of us are crazy," Tina said with a shrug when the calm was finally restored. "I'm normal."

When she turned in the line to cast a glance at him, Sebastian made a show of looking his friend up and down, taking in her long, dyed hair, her dark lipstick, the fake chains crisscrossing her glittering shirt and the pink little skulls printed on her black tights. _Oh yes_, he thought, _totally normal_.

Tina smirked and punched him playfully, ignoring his unhappy grunt when his tray oscillated dangerously in his hand for the third time.

"Don't give me that look. You think being a teenage goth is original? It's so _boringly _common, and I know it's just a phase anyway. That's what my nana said, right after she told me I'd never find a decent Chinese husband if I kept wearing this kind of "demonic" clothes. As if I wanted one! Seriously, I'm only sixteen…"

Sebastian's phone buzzed in his hand and he lost track of Tina's endless ranting about Chinese traditions to check his mailbox.

_"Any sign from Dave fuckhead Karofsky?"_

Sebastian felt an unpleasant twisting in his guts at the mention of that name. He started typing a one-handed answer to Hunter while following Tina absently. With almost everyone gone, they didn't have much trouble finding a free table and sat in their favorite spot near the windows, Tina choosing the place opposite him.

He didn't know the reasons why Hunter kept asking about Dave. It's been nearly a week and Sebastian hadn't seen a trace of the jock. His retarded friends were still whistling when they walked past him in the hallways, shouting at him to lose the pants and start wearing a dress like the _lady _he was. Nothing new, really, just the usual teasing every member from glee club got on a daily basis.

Sebastian liked to imagine Hunter honestly worried about him. Deep down he knew Hunter was probably asking out of politeness, but dreaming wasn't forbidden, after all. They didn't know each other well enough yet, so they pretty much talked about the same stuff all the time. Glee club, the Dalton Academy (with Hunter telling him over and over how incredibly _incredible _his school was, and how Sebastian would be so much happier there), Karofsky, and so on.

"Oh, we have to get there early tonight!"

Sebastian nodded with his eyes glued on his phone screen, face aloof and not paying attention to her anymore.

"It's the special league for little people, and they'll buy up all the small shoes if they get there first."

Sebastian looked up then and chuckled. "You and your Asian feet," he teased goodheartedly, wrinkling his nose. But then he lost his smile when he realized what she was talking about. "Oh, crap, are you talking about bowling? I totally forgot that, I can't tonight…"

"What? _Again__?"_

"Sorry, there's this Horror Film Festival in Westerville and Hunter got us tickets."

Sebastian tried to hide his excitement as best as he could, acting as if _really,_ this festival wasn't _that_ amazing and that he _wasn't_ wondering since yesterday what he was going to wear. _Nope._

"Us as in 'all of us'?" Tina asked, her eyes becoming two slits which, coming from an Asian girl with slanting eyes, was truly something.

The crease between her eyebrows made Sebastian instantly nervous. Tina had only been pissed at him once, and it had been the most frightening experience of his life. He was not letting her get the upper hand in this matter, though. Tina couldn't possibly understand what being gay and having another guy – especially a straight guy – enjoy his company as much as he was, without any awkwardness or such between them. It was something Sebastian had never experienced before. It felt like being normal again, just like before his coming out, when he didn't have to always be stuck with the girls because the stereotype wanted him to discuss make up with the 'fair sex'.

Of course, he loved Tina, she was his best friend and no one knew him as well as her. He also liked Brittany and her off-the-wall humor, especially when she wasn't anywhere near Santana, and he had even learned to bear with Rachel when she was willing to talk about something else than herself, but there were times when he just wanted to hang out with people whose voices weren't always trying to break his eardrums, or trying to talk faster than the speed of sound. Sebastian wasn't terribly effeminate, and if he was honest with himself, he didn't hang out with girls because he especially liked their company. It was all he had – if not for them, he'd be completely alone.

"Ah, he didn't know you'd want to come… I mean, I didn't tell him we had plans."

"Why? Are you avoiding me? Because yesterday, it was exactly the same story, Sebastian, and the day before too. Wait a minute, are you two _going out_? I thought he was straight but –"

"What?" Sebastian blinked dumbly at her, having difficulties following Tina's endless babbling. "No! No, it's not like that. He's my friend. We are just _friends_ who like to hang out after school. I just forgot we had something tonight, I'm sorry."

"Uh-huh."

"I mean it, I'm really sorry, Tina. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Tina crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, clearly not buying any of it. Sebastian's phone buzzed in his hand again and one look at his screen told him it was Hunter, but he chose to ignore it, and frowned when he met Tina's knowing look.

"There's nothing between us, I swear. Don't give me your bitch stare. I'm actually happy that I'm able to be friends with a straight guy without any awkwardness or unrequited crushes between us. It's… cool."

Sebastian took an olive from his salad and threw it in his mouth, and when she didn't seem to loosen up, he took another one and did as if he was going to throw it at her. Tina squealed and quickly shielded herself behind her arms. Sebastian laughed and had to wait before eating the olive if he didn't want to choke on it.

"Why do you keep choosing him over me, then?" Tina said, not lowering her arms before she'd made sure he wasn't armed anymore. "I thought we were best friends? And... and he's even a rival of our club! I don't think we are ready for another traitor drama yet."

"Tina, read my lips: _Just. Hanging. Out_." He said very slowly, like he was talking to a three year old and it made Tina roll her eyes at him. "OK? And besides, nothing about glee club ever comes up," he lied, but it was a harmless little lie because Hunter never asked about the New Directions or their set list, it was always Sebastian the one to bring the subject when he needed to bitch about his teammates.

Tina took her apple juice box while he was talking, tore the straw with a little too much force and stabbed it like she wanted to crush the innocent object under her fist. Then she took the straw between her lips and started drinking in the same pissed off manner, her eyes never wavering from Sebastian's.

"It's just nice to finally have someone to talk to. You know... Without being judged, or having to pretend to be someone I'm not."

Sebastian thought he saw a flash of hurt in her eyes, but he couldn't take back his words because he meant them, and he couldn't be anything else than honest with his best friend.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean? Are you telling me I'm not a good friend?"

She raised her eyebrows questioningly at him, straw still stuck in her mouth.

"Hunter is just the first person who understood the living hell Dave was making of my life. With you, sorry to twist the knife but you were the one who told me to 'just suck it up' and 'be a man' about it because 'everyone in the glee club's having the same problems'."

"Oh." Tina's expression softened and she leaned forward to take his hand. "I know. I'm sorry I didn't realize what you were going through. Is that what you two talk about?"

"Mostly, yes. But not only. He keeps suggesting that I transfer to Dalton but even if my father accepted to pay for the scholarship, it'd still be out of the question. I can't wear the same uniform 24/7. I'd go crazy and tear it off me after an hour."

Sebastian gestured to his pricey, plain button-down shirt. Even without rolling in money, Sebastian still got enough pocket money from his father and spent almost everything in branded clothes. His style was classy, without any exaggeration. Sebastian took good care of his appearance; be it what he wore, the way he gelled his hair or his skin care routine of the morning that he never told anyone about because it was maybe the gayest thing he'd ever done. Well, except being kissed by Karofsky. Oh, and there were the 'impure' thoughts about the history teacher. And those about Hunter.

He never wore his favorite clothes at school though, for there was always the risk to be slushied and have them ruined by the brutes from the football team.

"You know what? I'm sure it's only because of the novelty. You have nothing to be scared of, the place of best friend is still indisputably yours."

"Hm, if you say so. And I'm sure the fact that he's hot isn't hurting either."

She smiled and patted his arm knowingly before retrieving it.

"Who said he was hot? I never said that."

Sebastian was ready to deny everything about Hunter's attractiveness, but his wide grin was at odds with his words. Of course, Sebastian's readiness to cancel every engagement he had just to be able to spend more time with him had everything to do with his being drop-dead gorgeous. But after spending some time with him he'd realized Hunter wasn't just a pretty but otherwise hollow shell. He actually was incredibly smart and thus able to follow Sebastian's train of thoughts, where most of the people knowing him for years still had trouble understanding what he was trying to say. He was also fun to be around, cracking jokes mostly at the expense of others (and Sebastian's) but never with the intent to offend. Well, not Sebastian, at least.

Hunter Clarington was perfect as fuck _inside _and out. And straight as an arrow. How fair was that?

"You didn't have to."

Tina indicated his phone with her eyes.

"What, because we're texting? He's _hot_because we're exchanging text messages? You, girl, need to quit meth."

"Ha-ha. I wasn't talking about the messages but the fact that you haven't stopped texting him this week. Since you went spying at the Dalton Academy for us, right? For you to show such interest in someone, he must have either the body of a top model or cast some gay attraction voodoo spell on you…"

Sebastian snorted, shaking his head and mouthing the words 'gay voodoo spell' in disbelief.

"…So that's why you should introduce me to him. The sooner the better."

Sebastian's smile died and he frowned. He wasn't really thrilled by the idea of Tina meeting Hunter. He liked thinking the Warbler was all his and he felt like a kid who didn't want to share his new toy. It was a childish reaction, but there was also the fact that Hunter was straight. While being together Sebastian could pretend there was the possibility of Hunter developing some attraction to him, with Tina in the picture it could easily end up with Hunter falling head over hills for the goth – or the other way around, which wasn't any better. Tina would pursue him relentlessly and Sebastian would lose every chance of spending time alone with Hunter ever again.

"No way, I'm not letting you scare him away with your vampire tales and your attitude."

They argued during the whole lunch break until Tina had no more arguments left and decided to play dirty like the shameless cheater she was.

"Please?" She whined before sticking her lower lip in a pout, her eyes staring imploringly at him from under lowered lashes.

"No, don't give me that look, you won't get me this time!"

Sebastian looked away, a hardly repressed smile on his lips. But then Tina whimpered like a kicked puppy, and Sebastian couldn't hold his laughter any more.

"OK, stop it, I surrender! I can't resist the hurt puppy eyes. I'll ask him if he's free to go to Breadstix tomorrow night."

He turned toward his best friend and sighed exaggeratedly. "Is that good enough for you, you manipulative geisha?"

"What can I say?" Tina replied sassily, immediately dropping the act. "I'm good at it. Friday night sounds fine, but my drink's on your tab for standing me up again."

"Fair enough."

They stood up and took their empty trays, Tina bumping hips with him when she heard Sebastian's phone buzzing again, and then Sebastian had to hold it over his head to keep his nosy friend from snatching it from his hand. Tina was pretending to claw at his arm like a cat, laughing at his vain attempts to shoo her away.

Even if she acted like a pain in the ass most of the time, Sebastian wasn't any less happy he and Tina were still friends. After his coming out, their friendship had been awkward for a while. It had been a surprise for everyone, probably because Sebastian had never been the flamboyant type. At first, his mother hadn't even believed him, because all the gay men she knew were pretty effeminate. Sebastian hated that stereotype, but what could he do about it?

But Tina had eventually come to terms with the fact that Sebastian liked boys and things had come back to normal again. When Dave had started giving him shit, Sebastian had feared his constantly abrasive mood had maybe finally driven her away. He was relieved that she didn't hold it against him, after all, especially after he confessed to her the extent of Dave's harassment after Hunter's intervention. Tina had been genuinely surprised when he'd explained to her how difficult it really was to be mocked and teased every goddamn day, and had reacted almost as strongly as Hunter when he'd told her about Dave's physical aggression in the locker room. She had actually cursed him in Chinese – or that's what he thought she did, he wasn't sure about it – before describing different methods of torture she'd heard her grandmother talk about, and how she'd be happy to experiment them on Dave when she saw him again. It took a while, but Sebastian eventually convinced her it wasn't necessary anymore, for it was all in the past now.

Dave hadn't bothered him since Hunter's visit, and Sebastian was pretty sure those days of fear and humiliation were definitely over. He hadn't even seen Karofsky at school for a week, and he prayed for the stupid jock to have transferred to another school – somewhere far from Lima.

* * *

The secretary was glaring at Hunter from above the rim of her half-moon spectacles, tapping on her keyboard without paying attention at the screen.

Hunter shifted a bit in the padded chair in front of the desk until he was comfortable before joining his hands and resting them on his lap. He ignored the stern old woman and kept his gaze on the painting hanging on the wall behind her, but without paying any attention to it. He didn't know what it was supposed to depict, anyway. He never understood the principle of modern art.

After a while the secretary did a little sound before finally turning her attention to her computer screen. She seemed unused to having students in the waiting room of her boss, and Hunter could only imagine the hundreds of scenarios going through her head at this moment as she was trying to figure out the whys of his presence in the office of a state attorney. She had asked, but all Hunter had said was that he was a friend of Mr. Smythe's son and that he wanted a moment with him.

The secretary's prehistoric phone buzzed beside her on the table and the secretary stopped typing to listen to a male, disembodied voice that said something too fast for Hunter to understand before it went off again.

"Mr. Smythe is waiting for you," the secretary told him without looking up from her screen, but as Hunter thanked her and stood up, he caught her suspicious gaze on him again. Damned, untrusting woman.

Hunter entered the office and shut the wooden door behind him with a soft sound. Then he looked around, noticing the sparse decoration of the room. The windows were big though, which he knew meant that even if the position of state attorney didn't make people rich, it still gave a great deal of power and influence in the circle.

There was a fireplace on his right side, but there were only embers glowing weakly in the hearth, the fire long dead. The room smelled of fire smoke and cigarettes, and it made Hunter grimace briefly. He hated the stink of cigarettes.

The only other pieces of furniture were a bookcase that took the entire wall on Hunter's left, a carpet that had seen better days, a desk a bit larger than the secretary's and three chairs – one for the attorney and the two others for his visitors.

He quickly spotted the man smoking a cigarette in front of the window, and he appeared to be studying Hunter just as Hunter was doing at the same time.

"Who are you, young man, and how can I help you?"

"I'm Hunter Clarington. A friend of Sebastian's."

The man crushed the burned tip of his cigarette in the ashtray next to him, then put it back in his mouth again and sighed. Alan Smythe looked exhausted and old, with the grey hair at his temples, his wrinkled forehead and the dark bags under his eyes. Hunter found that Sebastian hadn't taken anything after his father's features, but they still shared the same lean corpulence and chestnut hair. Hunter had never seen Sebastian without his hair neatly gelled, but seeing his father now, he finally understood the reason behind all that exaggerate grooming.

Alan Smythe's hair was a spiky mess.

"And why are you here, Hunter?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you about Sebastian."

"What about him, is he alright?"

Hunter took a moment to mull over his answer. Coming here had seemed like his last resort after fucking it up so badly the other day when he'd played the alpha male with Karofsky. He still didn't know what had taken over him to act so inconsiderately. Humiliating Karofsky had been a mistake, and now that Hunter wasn't there with Sebastian anymore, the lack of news from the bully was making him nervous. He knew he had to sound obsessed asking Sebastian daily about him, but since his trip to Lima, he had that nagging feeling that something was going to happen, and he felt like a lion turning in circles inside his cage, unable to do anything more about it. Now, what if Karofsky got Sebastian alone some day and decided to take it all out on him?

Sebastian's father seemed like an honest man who was ready to listen, so Hunter decided straightforward was his best option.

"Have you ever talked about Sebastian's sexuality with him? I know he's out, but have you ever really discussed it?"

"I'm sorry, son, but why are you asking me that? Are _you_ gay?" Sebastian's father said, pointing at Hunter with his cigarette.

Hunter scoffed.

"No, I'm… _definitely _not."

Feeling overly-protective about a guy wasn't the same as being attracted to him. Hunter was being a good friend; that was all. The fact that he kept thinking about Sebastian after he left Dalton the first time had first worried him a bit, but then he'd realized it was only worry – first about that unknown brute using Sebastian as a punching ball, and then worry about the consequences of his thoughtless acts.

"He came out to me first; of course we discussed it. Listen I'm a very busy man, so if you've just come here to –"

"I was on my way to meet with your son," Hunter cut the older man off, "but first I wanted to tell you that Sebastian has been given shit because of his sexual preference for the past year and he never told you anything because he was convinced you wouldn't care, which I don't really believe."

Hunter watched Sebastian's father dump what little was left of his cigarette in the ashtray before settling slowly in his chair. He put both elbows on his desk with his hands pressed against his mouth, and Hunter waited for him until he had digested the information. He was used to the Smythes and their need to take their time. It was funny how Sebastian and his father didn't look alike much but shared so many gestures. It was like watching a grown-up version of his friend.

"My son is being bullied?" He asked in a soft voice, as if deep in thoughts. "And he never said anything…"

The man trailed off in disbelief, and Hunter felt something heavy settle atop his stomach; something ugly, and he knew it was envy. Hunter envied the relationship Sebastian and his father shared. For the man to be so dumbfounded by Sebastian's silence, they had to be really close, or his father had to be thinking that. Sebastian had told him about his coming out and how his father had accepted Sebastian's homosexuality right away, which was also exceptional. People in Ohio weren't that open-minded. Take Hunter's father for instance.

Hunter came to the desk and took a flyer from his pocket which he put on the desk. Sebastian's father only took a swift glance at it before his gaze returned to Hunter.

Hunter noticed Alan Smythe's eyes weren't the same dark green as his son's, but a light shade of maroon. He didn't know why he noticed such a stupid thing, but he did. That, and also Alan Smythe's long fingers, which Sebastian had inherited too.

_Damn, Clarington, stop comparing them for fuck's sake!_

"This is the Dalton Academy," he explained, speaking a bit louder to clear his thoughts. "It has a strict policy concerning discriminations of all kinds."

"I don't want to send my son to a private school," Sebastian's father answered vehemently, tapping the flyer on the table repeatedly with his forefinger to emphasize his words. "What will he learn about life if he's shielding away from it? I went to a public school, my father did the same and we all became respectable lawyers."

"Just think about it," Hunter said, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal while in fact he was hoping to change the attorney's mind. "And talk with your son. The bullying won't stop – it may even get worse if you don't take your responsibilities."

"I understand what you are trying to do here but even if he's being bullied, I warned Sebastian the day he came out. I _told_ him it was too early," he said, emphasizing his words with his hands, "I _told_ him it'd only bring him trouble to come out in high school but did he listen? No, he didn't, because he _never_ listens to me. My son is just a pigheaded boy who needs to learn from his mistakes all by himself."

"Hiding who he is can't be an option. Nobody should be given shit for being different, Mr. Smythe."

"Well, I don't know in which world you're living son but in the _real_, unfair world the rest of us live in, people _are_ mean, and racist, especially teenagers. There's nothing we can do about it."

Hunter fought off the urge to sigh and roll his eyes. It was nearly impossible to get anything past that man's thick skull. He reminded him a _hell_ of a lot of Sebastian, now. The son had _totally _taken after his father, without forgetting any flaw.

_Pigheaded_, he thought, _You're not even close to the truth!_

"My father is a judgmental old man doubled with a homophobic ignorant who never did a single attempt at bonding with me because I'm the accidental child they didn't want, and a disappointment since I quit the military academy. I live in the same world as everybody else, Mr. Smythe."

Hunter looked right into the other man's eyes, holding his gaze without cowering. His family sucked, and most of the time his life outside his school wasn't any different, but at least he wasn't lying to himself about it. Things were how they were, and people – including himself – had better deal with it, or stay out of his way. He wasn't after the man's pity, if he was being that open with a complete stranger, it was only because he knew better than most how merciless life could be for some people.

"He sounds like a hardass."

Sebastian's father leaned back in his chair, hands on the armrests. Hunter hadn't expected that reply, but he sounded interested, not patronizing or trying to comfort him, so Hunter went on.

"That's because he is one," he replied with another shrug. "But when I was a kid, he taught me how to take care of myself, and he knew when he wasn't there, I'd always be able to defend myself or my friends. And you, what did you teach your son? You are maybe a better man than my father by accepting Sebastian for who he is, but you are not a better parent."

Sebastian's father ran a hand through his unruly hair before letting it drop heavily on the armrest. He didn't look pissed off, but Hunter knew he'd overstepped his boundaries. He had no right to tell him how to raise his son, and he knew it.

"You should watch your words, Hunter. Someone else wouldn't have let you say such things without retaliation."

The attorney's eyes looked darker than they were in the declining daylight, and Hunter nodded, trying to look more confident than he really felt. It wasn't his fault if his son was given shit, and if things actually got worse it was all Hunter's fault. The kiss had happened after he'd suggested Sebastian to confront the guy. Hunter hadn't thought about Sebastian, he'd only imagined what he'd do in a similar situation, forgetting that Sebastian _wasn't_ him. Hunter would have cut Karofsky's balls and made him eat them if he'd dared mock him – let alone kiss him.

"I know," Hunter replied a bit haughtily, "but at least now I'm sure you won't forget about this conversation before long."

Hunter gave the older man a curt nod before turning around and leaving the room.

Now, he could only hope he'd finally fixed this fucking situation, because he didn't see what else he could do.

There was nothing for him to do about it now but pray for Karofsky to move on and forget about it all, or for Sebastian's father to finally have a talk with his son.

Outside of the building, Hunter unlocked his car and checked his watch. He still had plenty of time to go home and change before heading for their meeting at Breadstix. Sebastian wanted to introduce him to his best friend tonight, and Hunter was set on making a good impression. He was also curious as to who was this 'Tina Cohen-Chang' Sebastian liked to portray as the female version of Mao Zedong. He couldn't wait to meet that ruthless dictator.

* * *

They were having dinner at Breadstix, and even if Hunter had felt a bit left out at the beginning, with Tina and Sebastian mostly sharing gossips about the members of their glee club who Hunter didn't know, but then Tina had made one hardly innocent comment about a horror movie she had seen not very long ago, and then she'd always so _subtly _turned toward Hunter to ask him how that festival they went with Sebastian was.

Hunter had been more than happy to answer, launching himself into one of his long narrations where he always turned your usual walk to the mall into an epic adventure. He had always been told he had a gift for telling stories, whether they were true or not. He just knew what people expected to hear, what would spark their interest, and he also believed a little exaggeration or embellishment here or there never hurt anybody too.

But Hunter had been in the middle of telling a giggling Tina about Sebastian's _very manly _reaction during one of the scariest scenes of the first movie (he'd jumped and squeaked like a frightened mouse, spilling his drink on his pants), trying to speak over Sebastian's indignant protests when Hunter had felt Sebastian seize up beside him on the bench, the shoulder that had been unconsciously resting against his own the whole night going suddenly tense. Hunter had first turned to look at his friend and found him staring at some point over Hunter's shoulder with his jaw set tight and his eyes narrowed.

And that had been when the Latina girl with the pretty red dress had appeared seemingly from nowhere and sat herself at their table beside Tina as if they had been waiting for her.

"Ha, look who's having a lovely get together!"

"Hunter, meet Satan," Sebastian snapped.

"It's Santana," the girl corrected.

She gave Sebastian the same despising look she'd give a smashed bug under the sole of her shoe before turning her attention to Hunter. "And who are you, by the way? Last time I checked _Twinky_ Winky here had only one friend."

"That still makes it one more than you, Santana."

Hunter snickered at Tina's comment and Santana frowned, her forehead wrinkling briefly. She obviously didn't like being the butt of the joke.

"I'm Hunter Clarington," Hunter said, not even blinking under the girl's almost aggressively seductive gaze.

She seemed to like what she saw a lot but instead of feeling flattered or thrilled to be checked out by such a sexy girl, Hunter only noticed how Sebastian's stance got even more rigid, his hand gripping the edge of the table beside him. Hunter wanted to turn his head and see what was written on Sebastian's face at that moment, and what was making his friend so wound up; he also wanted to unfold his crossed arms and put his hand atop Sebastian's white-knuckled and almost shaking one which was unusual since Hunter didn't appreciate any physical contact much. He couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged or let someone hug him, and he knew it had to do with the way he'd been brought up. In his family, they never cuddled or kissed each other, and generally kept their distances, everyone respecting the other's private space. There were only the sparse and very brief embraces his mother gave him on special occasions like the morning of his first day in High School or at his grandfather's funeral. And there were also the usual friendly claps on the shoulder from his father. And the secret handshake he'd invented with his big brother when they were kids. Aside from that, touching was just something the Claringtons didn't do, and living in that kind of environment had made Hunter just as allergic to human contact.

But he knew Sebastian was that type of person who craved it like a flower craved sunlight, and if he could do anything to soothe him, he felt like he was ready to do it.

But right before he could tell the girl to just piss off already, Santana leaned forward, _accidentally _offering Hunter a great view at her impressive cleavage.

"Oh," She said sweetly, forming an "o" with her cherry red lips, looking exactly like one of those sexist advertising posters from the seventies. "Nice to meet you, pretty boy. I don't know how these two losers trapped you here," she added while pulling out her lipstick from her tiny handbag and quickly writing her name and phone down on the corner of one clean napkin. "But when you get bored, and you need some fun, you call me."

She folded the napkin in two and slid it inside the front pocket of Hunter's jeans who sat absolutely still, locking gazes with the little tigress. He only knew her for a minute and she was already grating on his nerves but he still couldn't suppress his smirk when she dragged her nails through the fabric on her way up before pulling her hand out. That girl knew what she was doing and she wasn't afraid of asking for what she wanted. He couldn't help but like that kind of boldness. Then, with one last wink at him, and the unmistakable "call me" gesture, she walked away, her dress rustling behind her with every step she took. She didn't even look at the two others, and Hunter heard Tina mutter something under her breath about ripping somebody's fake melons or something similar.

Hunter watched her go, and he briefly wondered why none of that generous display of female curves had turned him on in the slightest. But then he remembered Sebastian's obvious unease and everything else slipped from his mind.

"You okay?"

When their eyes met, Sebastian promptly avoided his gaze and kept it firmly set on his plate. His jaw was still set tight, and the usual half-smile plastered on his face was devoid of any humor. It was as if he was wearing it like a mask, trying to look like his normal self when in fact Hunter had no difficulty recognizing a fake one. Hunter wondered if he'd done something wrong for Sebastian to be pissed with him – he was actually sure it had something to do with him, seeing how they were exchanging looks with Tina, the kind that Hunter wasn't supposed to, and didn't understand.

He reached and patted Sebastian's forearm in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, and when Sebastian finally _deigned _look at him, those dark green eyes seemed to suck him in, searching his own for an explanation for that little gesture. Sebastian looked surprised by Hunter's reaction, and his gaze kept shifting from Hunter's hand on his arm to his face, and then from his face to his hand.

Hunter bit his lip and did his best to look contrite. He didn't know what he was apologizing for exactly, but apparently he was doing it right because after a moment Sebastian did his adorable wrinkled nose and then dislodged Hunter's hand with a smirk.

All of this had happened in the span of a split second before Sebastian finally replied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

There was that exchange of looks between the two best friends, Tina smiling knowingly at Sebastian, and Hunter was about to ask what the _heck _was going on because now he just _mildly _appreciated being left out when something at the other side of the restaurant – a blur of colors, white and red – caught his eye.

He squinted his eyes and recognized Dave Karofsky. Hunter's eyes curled into fists under the table. The guy had just entered the restaurant and it was all Hunter could do not to stand up and shout at him to get the hell out. The simple sight of the guy made his blood boil and his heart pound at a furious pace in his chest, vision darkening and narrowing on Karofsky.

The guy looked around himself and their eyes met. Hunter locked gazes with him, making sure Karofsky was well aware of the fact that he was there and the only way to Sebastian would be through his dead body. Hunter's nostrils flared, and he suspected his eyes literally poured hatred and disgust in waves. When Karofsky flinched noticeably across the restaurant in his football jacket, Hunter focused his attention on his friends again, dismissing the other now that he had made his message clear enough for the dumb jock to get it.

Sebastian and Tina were completely oblivious to Karofsky's appearance and Hunter hoped it'd stay that way. When he cast another look at Karofsky, he saw him right before he left the restaurant, the little bells above the door chiming merrily after him.

_Wise move, fucker._

Hunter let out a relieved breath. If Santana had placed a dark cloud over the night, Karofsky would have ruined what was left of the good mood. Eventually they finished their dinner without any more interruptions, and the evening came to an end when it got late enough for Hunter to consider leaving if he didn't want to come back home at an ungodly hour and have to endure his mother's interrogatory.

When they got the bill, Hunter suggested paying for them all – he hadn't meant to offend, and when they met again he had planned on letting them repay him if they liked, money was never a problem for him – but when it earned him Tina's scowl and an embarrassed wince from Sebastian he quickly took it back and tried to pass it off as a joke.

He failed, lamely so, but then Sebastian paid for Tina's drink, and Hunter was the one to feel annoyed this time. Why was he not allowed to pay for them when they had no problem when it was between the two of them?

Hunter stood up and put away his wallet with a thoughtful frown. Was it because Sebastian didn't consider them _friends enough _yet? It was unfair, and Hunter considered asking Sebastian right away, but then he realized how childish that would sound, and he decided to make an effort and act as if none of it had offended _him_. Maybe the fact that they didn't know each other for more than a week explained his unease, and Tina's, who only met him an hour ago. Though, Hunter felt as if he and Sebastian had known each other not for days but _years – _they just understood each other so well – but he was probably the only one who felt that way. To Sebastian, he was still almost a stranger, and he had to have sounded rude when suggesting taking the bill on his account only.

Still chastising himself, Hunter lead the way to the parking with Tina and Sebastian following silently after him. He hoped he wasn't the one ruining the night after all.

They stopped in the middle of the few cars, everyone having already spotted his and only lingering for the goodbyes.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Tina. I hope someday you could come to Dalton, the guys would be battling to be the first to have a chance at serenading you."

Tina smiled and hid her mouth behind her hand. Then she surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and landing a loud kiss on his cheek.

"Be careful on the way back, okay?"

"I'm always careful," Hunter bragged when Tina released him, but only in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

He didn't know how he was supposed to act around a_ girl_ friend exactly. In the military academy there weren't many girls, and he had dated only girls from outside the school, and there hadn't been that much of those. At Dalton, there were no girls _at all_, and Hunter had been too busy with glee club to look out for a girlfriend for _ages._ So yeah, he was a bit rusty when it came down to his interactions with girls, and girl friends was a concept almost foreign to him. He either dated them or didn't. He never befriended one.

But Tina didn't mind that he didn't hug her back, or kiss her goodbye, or anything besides smiling awkwardly and laughing her concern off. She just winked and stepped back to Sebastian's side.

And Hunter suddenly felt something hot in the pit of his stomach, which felt a lot like stage fright, and the stress that slowly crept up his nerves until he was a bundle of nervousness. But what could made him nervous, the fact that they were parting? That seemed unlikely. But then Sebastian raised his hand and Hunter wondered if he was going to get a hug from him too, and oh, there it was again, that strange warm feeling. It felt like a million of little wings were fluttering excitedly in his stomach, and it was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

Sebastian's hand seemed to hesitate for a fraction of second before he raised it to his own head and smoothed his hair back, catching the wild strands that had escaped his attempts to tame what Hunter now knew from his father was a very unruly mane of chestnut hair. Was it a last second change of direction? Had he wanted to reach for Hunter, maybe shake hands? Hunter would never know. When they were only the two of them hanging out they usually parted without any awkwardness between them, Sebastian simply telling him it was time for him to go and bumping shoulders when Hunter whined and complained exaggeratedly. He supposed the fact that Tina was there was some kind of pressure, and Sebastian was maybe feeling too self-conscious to be able to act normally.

With a shrug, Hunter motioned with his head the general direction of his own car. "I'd better go. It's getting late."

"Yeah," Sebastian replied. "Uh… Yeah, see ya."

Hunter smiled and walked away to the other end of the parking, taking his car keys out on his way and playing with them to keep his suddenly fidgety hands occupied. Well, that was awkward, but he was sure it'd get better. Sebastian would eventually get accustomed to him and won't need to be so self-conscious whenever they were walking down the streets together, or going out with either of their friends. Thinking of that, Hunter realized Sebastian hadn't properly met anybody from The Warblers. Hunter had even been accused by Nick of keeping him for himself, which was ridiculous. But then, Nick was always overdoing it, so he hadn't bothered answering him. But now that he thought about it, and after Sebastian had introduced him to his best friend, it was maybe his turn to arrange a meeting of some sort with his own friends?

_Well_, he thought when he climbed in his car_, that sounds like a plan._

The strange feeling in his stomach remained for a while, keeping him company on his way back to Westerville and leaving him wide awake for a long while that night. He was turning and turning in his bed, kicking the covers aside while he was trying to put a name on this curious sensation. Eventually exhaustion won over his worry and he fell fast asleep.

* * *

"Sebastian, do you have feelings for him?" Tina started, then trailed off when Sebastian shot her one of his pissed off glances.

They were in the parking lot of the restaurant, right after Hunter's departure. Sebastian knew what she was hinting at. Sebastian had never before experienced such change of moods in such a short span of time. From nervousness before Hunter's arrival to excitement, to anger and finally, shyness when it had been time to part. He had suddenly found himself unable to do anything under Tina's scrutinizing stare. He knew whatever he did, Tina was going to analyze it carefully like a legist methodically cuts open a body in search of the tiniest bit of information. So he hadn't done anything. No handshake, no light pat on the shoulder. Hell, he hadn't even dared _look _at Hunter when they had said goodbye! Hunter was as obvious as they came of Sebastian's painful attraction to him, and Tina had already guessed enough without needing any more evidences. It was better to deny the whole thing instead of trying to explain himself.

"I don't. It's just that Santana gets on my nerves all the time."

Sebastian hadn't lied, even if Tina didn't seem convinced by his answer. He didn't have feelings for Hunter – he found him hot; that was a whole different thing. Besides, the guy was straight, it was no use hoping after the impossible. Still, Santana flirting with him so outrageously, right in front of him, it had made him so _damn mad_.

Especially Hunter's reaction. His friend had fallen completely under that bitch's spell, and it had comforted him in his suspicions about Hunter's preferences. Totally, undoubtedly, definitely straight. Meeting Hunter's gaze after that had been nearly impossible, Sebastian had been afraid he'd be able to see everything in his eyes – the anger, the disappointment, the squashed remnants of hope and the miserable resignation.

_Crap, I'm so pathetic._

"OK. Walk me to my car?"

Sebastian nodded. They walked side to side in silence, Sebastian repeating the scene when Santana had slipped her phone number in Hunter's pocket, and he tried to remember if Hunter had kept it or thrown it. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't remember and it was driving him crazy. Had he really kept the napkin? Was he going to call, then? Next time Sebastian wanted to hang out, was he going to decline because he had a _date _with Santana?

Sebastian sighed and when Tina turned her head toward him with a questioning look, he just shook his head and averted his gaze. He _so _didn't want to talk about it. Not now, and maybe not ever. If he kept his desires for himself, they seemed less real, and easier to deal with. The moment he told Tina, or anyone else, the secret wouldn't belong to him alone anymore, and it'd make it too real to ignore. When it was just inside his fucked up mind, he could pretend it wasn't there and go on with his life. He only found Hunter attractive, and he was happy to know someone like him. Period. He wasn't expecting _anything _else. He didn't want to be the guy pinning for his unsuspecting friend. Who could happen to find his interest disgusting if he ever find out about it. Hunter was open-minded for sure, but Sebastian wasn't sure if he'd appreciate Sebastian fantasizing about him day and night.

So why was he so disappointed? He felt like ripping his stupid heart out of his chest and throwing it angrily in the bin they just passed by. Or stomping it under his feet just to make it _shut up. _Shut up, shut up, shut up!

When they reached Tina's small car easily recognizable with its thousands of stickers, she got inside and Sebastian promptly shut the door after her exactly how his mother had taught him to do when he was thirteen, and asking her for advice on how to get girls to like him. Back then, he hadn't been aware yet of his interest going elsewhere.

Tina lowered her window and waved him goodbye. "I'm happy that you found someone like Hunter," Tina said, "and you have my blessing to hang out with him," she added with a chuckle.

Sebastian screwed up his eyes and put a hand on his hip.

"Goodnight, Tina."

Tina laughed at his not-so-subtle way of ending the conversation. She waved one last time before pulling out of the parking lot and quickly disappeared from Sebastian's sight.

Alone in the quiet, Sebastian sighed and put his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket – the light brown one Tina had offered him last year. The night was mild for the season, and he didn't really need one, but it was his best jacket and Sebastian though he looked good in it, so… _yeeeah_, he'd maybe wanted to make a good impression on someone. Probably. And Tina hadn't failed to notice it earlier this evening and give him her annoying little knowing look again.

He walked slowly down the alley to his car and he was about to unlock it when the slamming of a door made him start. He looked around nervously and saw a hooded silhouette go out of the car parked nor far from his own. He was about to turn around when another silhouette emerged from the passenger seat, this one holding a baseball bat in one hand.

Sebastian's blood literally froze in his veins, and he felt the sharp stab of fear in his guts, threatening to swamp him. He forced himself to breathe, to just _breathe, Sebastian! This cannot be what you think! _

_Oh God, please, don't make it be what I think it is!_

Sebastian took a deep, shaky breath and turned his head back to his car, now frantically trying to unlock it, swearing under his breath that he still had this old can his father gave him for his sixteenth birthday that only opened manually. He couldn't stop thinking of the stories in the newspapers he'd read not so long ago about gang attacks, and that particular one about a guy with his boyfriend who got beaten up after a concert not so far from here.

But then he caught a movement on the other side of his car and when he looked above the top of the roof, what he saw made him drop his keys.

Three other people were coming in his direction. Sebastian's heart started pounding in his chest and his palms were sweaty. He turned around, and even though he knew what he'd see, he still couldn't suppress a loud intake of surprise. The two people he had spotted first were walking right toward him too, and the one with the bat was gripping it tight and holding it like it were a weapon, rather than sports equipment.

_So it's exactly what I thought. Fuck._

They quickly circled him, standing at each end of the narrow space between the two cars where Sebastian was still standing completely unmoving, breath stuck in his throat. He felt like a trapped rabbit watching the hunters coming for him.

"Yo, Smythe!" Said someone from the hooded figures standing at his right, and Sebastian felt the vise around his chest ease a bit when he recognized Azimio's familiar still breaking voice. "What did I hear, you got kissy-kissy with my buddy Dave?"

But when he turned to face him, he noticed the one that had to be Azimio was the one holding the baseball bat, and when he came closer and took off his hood, his eyes were dark and there was not a trace of his usual mockery in them. Intense hatred and disgust were contorting his face instead, and Sebastian instinctively took a step back, trying his best not to flinch or look as scared as he was.

"That's bullshit!" Sebastian spat, cursing himself inwardly for his weak voice. "I didn't do anything! _H__e_ kissed me!"

"He's a liar." Sebastian's eyes opened wide when he heard Dave Karofsky's voice. Of _course _he would be here – this lovely get together had to be one of his ideas to get back at him, a way of restoring his wounded pride after Sebastian dragged Hunter to McKinley. He found he didn't regret any of it, though. Dave had needed that lesson, and if he had to do it again, he'd do it! "He followed me to the locker room and... and started confessing his... undying _love_," Karofsky stuttered, searching for a quick lie, voice uncertain. Nobody noticed, though, and the rest of them snickered.

"I bet he cried like a lil' girl when you told him to fuck off." Azimio came in front of Sebastian, walking like he owned the world and he did a show of whining in a poor imitation of Sebastian before bursting out laughing.

"What?" Sebastian was completely stunned, the word 'love' making his brain literally shut down for a second. He stepped back when Azimio came closer, eyeing the bat carefully. Was Karofsky in _love _with him? Was that why he had kissed him? "Is that your vengeance, Dave?" he yelled, eyes darting quickly around in search of Karofsky, but he was unable to spot him in the middle of the hooded jocks. They were all big with wide shoulders. In the darkness of the night, they all looked the same. Massive, brainless brutes. "You're just a bunch of motherfucking cowards! All of you! Show your faces, you _fuckers_!"

"Shut yo' faggy mouth!" Azimio replied just as loud, and Sebastian took a step back. "I've had enough of you waving yo' gay at my face in my school. That was the last straw, lady boy!"

"The last straw," the others muttered quietly, laughing beneath their hoods, and Sebastian felt chills running down his spine. They all looked like some goddamn copycats of the Klu Klux Klan. And for the first time, the thought that something truly horrible could happen to him crossed his mind, some kind of cold awareness of his situation washing over his being, making him shiver. They were alone in the farthest side of the parking lot, and nobody could see them from the restaurant. Or at least, not if they didn't have any business in the other side of the parking. Azimio and his minions could do whatever they wanted with him, he was helpless and totally… on his own.

"It's not _your _school!" Sebastian shouted at Azimio, rage boiling in his veins. "And _I _didn't do _anything_! You're really the dumbest _assholes_–"

Sebastian saw Azimio raise his bat and he ducked. He heard the impact with the window of his car before shattered glass showered his head and back, tiny pieces falling on his exposed neck and slipping under the collar of his shirt. Sebastian protected his head with his arms from the raining debris as best as he could, his surprised cry lost in the din of glass breaking.

Azimio barked something and his friends quickly rushed in the space between the cars to catch his arms forcefully, yanking them behind his back with too much force than was necessary, almost dislodging them. Sebastian let out a harsh whine when his joints cracked and a jolt of pain coursed from his shoulders to his toes, upper body sagging forward from the shock. One of them was enough to hold him still, and he was quickly overpowered.

Sebastian took a deep breath and hissed when he straightened up and the fragments of glass stuck in his shirt rolled down his spine, digging in the small of his back where he was pressed against the body of his assailants. He tried to break free from the tight grip of the jock, shouting and kicking like crazy but it was all in vain, for he was ten times stronger than him and gave him back every one of his blows until not a single patch of his skin didn't hurt. He had to stop if he didn't want the next blow to stun him completely.

He tried to cry for help, but the hooded bastard crushed his mouth under his hand, gaging him so suddenly he nearly choked on his own saliva from the shock. The hand pressed hard against his mouth, strong fingers digging in his skin as if the guy was actually trying to smash his head in his hand. The pressure around his face drove Sebastian crazy but when he tried to bite him the other kicked his back with his knee and Sebastian let out a muffled moan, pain echoing up his spine and tears welling up in his eyes.

Overwhelmed by pain and sheer panic, unable to defend himself, Sebastian nearly forgot to breathe through his nose and it was when he thought he was going to suffocate that his body decided to take control and he inhaled suddenly, grunting against his aggressor's hand, vision focus gone bleary with unshed tears of pain.

Then he heard the sound of broken glass, and he had to fight against the jock's hold to be able to lift his head and look up. He saw Azimio standing next to his car, smashing the windows one after the other and before each blow calling him disgusting homophobic names that had Sebastian cringe against his assailant's body, feeling so ashamed he could have cried. But he fought it off, he fought the sob that felt like a lump in his throat with all he had and watched heavy-hearted as the others came to help their leader destroy the rest of his father's old car, denting the bodywork.

It was the one his father had bought when he was eighteen, in an attempt to impress Sebastian's mother after she'd agreed to be his date for their prom night.

When they were done with his car, all of them breathing heavily from exertion, it looked ready for the dumping ground, and nobody was laughing anymore. Sebastian's body sagged against the hands keeping him trapped, his knees suddenly bucking under his weight. His father was never going to forgive him for not being capable of protecting one of his most precious souvenirs from his mother.

Azimio gestured to his friends and they all gathered around him and the brute holding him still, surrounding him like a pack of starving hyenas, ready to feast on his still living carcass. Sebastian put all his hatred and revulsion in his eyes, blinking until he'd chased the tears and when their gazes met, Azimio actually flinched almost imperceptibly. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, Sebastian stood up and tried to lung at him, surprising the big guy who was holding him still. He managed to tear the hand from his mouth but before he could do anything else he was quickly stopped by two iron arms gripping his shoulders and jerking him back before pushing him brutally aside.

Sebastian fell face first on the ground, teeth sinking accidentally in his lower lip, blood springing from the cut and coating his tongue and his teeth. The shock stunned him for a short moment, dark spots dancing in front of his eyes. His knees, his chin, his back, his arms, his wrists from when he'd tried to cushion his fall with his hands, everything was just _pain;_ hot, piercing pain that almost numbed him to the rest of the world. His eyes blurred with tears again but he didn't notice it, the world around him spinning and spinning.

When he came to his senses again, he saw the feet of the jocks move restlessly near his face, a black shoe almost hitting his nose, as if something was disturbing the group. They were arguing and shouting at each other, but Sebastian couldn't get a word they were saying.

He decided against standing up, all combativeness suddenly drained from him. He remained face pressed against the rough but warm asphalt, trying in vain to stifle the sobbing that was making his chest shake. There was not a drop of energy, or anything else left in his bones, and his mind felt like it was trying to slip out from his body, blacking out for a moment before coming back to awareness. Fear, shock, pain; his body was trying to fight against that powerful cocktail but he knew it wouldn't take long before he lost consciousness.

_Why me?_ He thought, gritting his teeth. _Why always me?_

Through his semi-conscious haze, he thought he heard Karofsky shout something at Azimio he couldn't understand – and he didn't want to understand, anyway. He couldn't care less. He just wished the ground would open and swallow him already.

He turned very slowly on his flank and curled up into fetal position before closing his eyes, shutting the world out, ignoring the pain flaring in his back when he moved or how the bruised skin of his face was throbbing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Hot tears rolled down his lashes and cheeks before pooling in his ear shell, and his chest hurting with every hiccup. He had never felt more miserable in his life, and for the first time he wished he could just... _die_.

He was tired of fighting, and most of all he was tired of suffering.

He was tired of all that hatred.

"I said _stop_!"

Was that really Dave's voice?

Before Sebastian could form a single other coherent thought, his mind went blank and he finally sank into the sweet relief of oblivion, face going slack and fingers uncurling slowly.

"_Shit!"_

_"...l__et's get outta here!_"

* * *

**P.S.: Aw thank you all for your lovely reviews, I'm so glad you like it! *does the Evan Almighty happy dance***


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